Revenant
by Clara Barton
Summary: A prequel to Umbra. Fifty years after Solo's execution by the Council, Duo Maxwell struggles to find meaning in a life of darkness and pain.


Warnings: AU, Angst, Violence, Torture, Language, Angst, Sex - yaoi and het. Original characters – which you kind of knew was coming, since all of the Gundam folks exist in the present…

A/N: There was a request – well, there were a FEW requests – for a prequel of sorts, about Duo and Jason. This will be fairly brief – three parts – and then we'll go back to the future for _Penumbra_.

A/N#2: Thanks as always to the always fabulous Cuzo for being my beta!

**Revenant**

_1651_

_Spain_

Nights like this made Duo _really_ miss Solo.

It was madness to hunt down rogue shapeshifters on a full moon – when they were at their most powerful and least rational – but it was the best chance Duo had to catch this particular band. There were seven of them, as far as he could tell, and he had tracked them through the Pyrenees and south into Spain over the past month. He was determined that this hunt would end now, tonight.

They were a breed unlike any he had previously encountered. Ever since the Council had outlawed shapeshifter packs nearly forty years ago, Duo found himself almost continually hunting down rogue packs that either hadn't heard yet that they were doomed or simply didn't care.

This pack seemed to fall in the latter category. Not only did they not care for Council edicts, but they placed little value on human life. Other packs seemed to at least have a strategy – they killed humans who knew what they were, for food, or for revenge.

This pack, however… they struck without reason or provocation. Duo had found the massacred bodies of peasants and nobles, Catholics and Huguenots – even Jews and a few Moors. This pack simply liked to _hunt_.

Too bad for them that Duo did too.

Any excuse to leave court was one that Duo jumped to take, but doing meaningful work – ridding humans of the vermin who plagued their lives – was something that Duo could be truly grateful for. It gave him the chance to turn his back on the hedonistic and often sadistic pursuits of the Council and do the work that God, and Solo, had meant for him.

It had been fifty years, but there wasn't a day that Duo met when he didn't wish to have Solo by his side. The fact that his master had gone to his grave despising him cut deeply. But Solo had been more than his master – he had been a brother, a friend, a partner, and a lover. He had been Duo's entire world, and all the family he had ever wanted or needed.

Losing Solo cost Duo his faith, a fair amount of blood, and had sentenced him to a lifetime of rage and despair. Since Solo, and before him Father Maxwell, had pounded into his head that only God could take his life, Duo had long ago given up on the idea of suicide. _If_ – and he had serious reservations about this – there was a heaven and hell, then he wasn't going to muck about with his chances of meeting Solo again in the afterlife.

So here he was, alone, angry, and _cold_, tracking a band of shapeshifters who transformed into bears, on the eve of a full moon.

When he finally came across their camp it was nearly dawn.

They seemed to have found entertainment for the evening – as Duo eased through the woods until he could get a clear view of the cave they had holed up in he could hear the faint cries of a child.

The cave was illuminated by firelight, and Duo could easily see the seven creatures within. It was clear that they weren't natural bears – they were leaner than their counterparts and moved like great, hairy humans, using their massive paws as clumsy hands.

There was a pile of corpses near the fire, and judging from the size and range of the bloody bodies, the bears had caught themselves a family and left the youngest for last.

The child cried again, and it was all Duo could do not to charge into the cave and save her. But he had learned from centuries of experience that acting without thought only resulted in disaster.

He needed a plan before he went into that deathtrap, he needed –

One of the bears drew long, curved claws across the child's face and it – _she_ screamed in pain.

Duo drew the sword at his side and his favorite dagger in one smooth motion and charged into the cave, wielding the weapons with rage.

He was too late to save the girl – even as he rushed forward with a shout of rage, the bear who had been playing with her gutted her, digging its claws deep into her soft flesh before tossing her body aside – and he made sure that each of the creatures paid for her death.

By the time he was done, the six shapeshifters were barely more than masses of bloody fur. He had hacked away their claws and faces and instead of delivering quick, fatal wounds he had toyed with them – just as they had toyed with the girl.

As the first rays of sunlight shifted over the massacre, Duo tried to steady his breathing. He would need to bury the humans, give them the too-late last rights, and then see to it that the corpses of the shape shifters were disposed of.

He sheathed his weapons and prepared to do so, but then felt a chill run down his spine.

Duo turned as a shadow fell over him, blocking out the light from the sun and the mouth of the cave.

It was daylight now, and the power of the moon had faded enough that any shapeshifter would naturally change back into a human.

Unless they were an alpha.

The bear staring down at Duo with rage filled black eyes was clearing an alpha, and clearly _very_ upset with Duo for killing off her pack.

"Shit," Duo breathed.

He reached for his weapons, but the bear was quicker, sending him flying deep into the cave with a single swipe of her massive paw.

Duo felt the swift pain of his skin giving way beneath her claws and he felt his chest. The wound was deep, but he would survive it.

The bear charged at him, deafening his ears with a roar as she lumbered forward.

Duo drew his sword while at the same time reaching within himself for his magic.

He hurled pain at her, halting her mid attack, and she curled in on herself, whimpering in agony.

Duo kept up the steady stream of pain, nearly crippling her with the intensity of it, and used the distraction to kill her, swiftly cutting her throat and then stabbing her in the heart, for good measure.

Afterwards, catching his breath took a little more effort. As his adrenaline faded the pain from his wound increased. Not for the first time, Duo wished that he had _some_ inkling of healing ability.

While he healed quickly and could survive wounds that would be fatal to any human and most Old Ones, Duo was still at the mercy of others for really dangerous things.

Fortunately, this wound wasn't that bad.

Her claws had ripped through his skin and, it felt like, muscle, but she hadn't managed to damage his heart or lungs.

Duo tried to clean the wound as best as he could and then he set about disposing of all the bodies.

He buried the humans first, taking his time to pray for their souls and pardon their sins.

Next came the task of skinning the alpha bear.

Duo despised doing this. It was barbaric and completely unnecessary. But _some_ on the Council seemed to think that trophies like the head and skin of a shapeshifter were worth collecting, and insisted that Duo bring them back.

He flaunted Council rule enough that he _had_ to obey this, such a simple request. But that didn't mean he enjoyed it.

Once he had secured the _prize_, he burned the shapeshifter corpses. It wouldn't do for some human to wander through and come across something like this. Humans needed to be protected from the monsters, and even more they needed to be kept in the dark about their existence.

After that, he packed his gear, tracked down his horse, and turned around. It was time to return to Paris, to the Council, and to the monsters who had murdered Solo.

* * *

_Pamplona, Navarre_

Duo rode as far as he could the first day before stopping for the night. The second day he made good time, and had almost crossed back into French territory when something made him decide to travel through Pamplona.

As he rode into the village he immediately sensed something amiss. There was magic in the air - the wild, untamed magic of young and powerful ephemerals. There was also a black trail of smoke, drifting towards the heavens and Duo decided to ride towards the plume, an uneasy feeling in his stomach.

He arrived in the town square and caught sight of the yellow tents of an auto da fe and felt his breath quicken.

The priests in their black cassocks were in the process of delivering a mass, their poor Latin nearly mangled by their Spanish accents and Duo struggled to understand what they were saying.

It seemed as if the entire populace of Pamplona had gathered for the event.

Duo tied off his horse by a trough, making sure to cast a ward over her to discourage anyone from stealing her, and then blended into the crowd.

He remembered the first auto da fe, in Paris, more than four hundred years ago. He and Solo had been horrified by the event, and it had been the first time that Solo had ever expressed doubt in the Church. Duo couldn't understand _how_ humans were capable of doing this to each other – and even Solo's explanation that their actions were guided by God had seemed weak at the time. It was even weaker now.

Making his way to the front of the crowd, Duo surveyed the two blackened bodies, barely more than ash by now, smoldering at the stake erected in the center of the town, in front of the yellow tents.

Sudden wailing caught his attention, and he turned to see a girl and boy being dragged towards the stake.

He frowned. The girl looked a little older than boy, but she couldn't be more than sixteen, Duo guessed. The two children were clinging to each other, but when a soldier pulled them apart, Duo could feel a lash of magical energy from the girl. The soldiers released her and the boy, and the crowd started to murmur excitedly.

The girl continued to cry, clutching the boy to her and turning him away from the stake.

Duo knew he shouldn't interfere – Jason had given him strict orders to avoid the Church, auto da fe's and unclaimed ephemerals – but when the soldiers managed to regroup and pulled the two apart again and the boy cried out, he decided to risk punishment.

One of the soldiers started to pull the boy towards the stake, and the girl again lashed out with her magic, making the soldiers around her stumble backwards.

Duo suddenly heard the very unmistakable scrape of metal against metal that only a ball being loaded into a musket made. He turned and saw a soldier near the yellow tent finish loading his weapon and take aim on the girl.

He broke free of the crowd and dove for the girl, tackling her to the ground and shoving them out of the soldier's line of sight.

The sound of musket fire created an immediate uproar. The crowd cried out in terror – most of them had still likely never seen or heard a musket before – and even the soldiers seemed panicked.

The girl under Duo struggled, kicking at him and even biting his hand.

"Ow! What the hell is your problem?" He shouted at her.

"Let me go, you bastard!" She screamed back in French.

He felt relief at that – his Spanish was appalling – but it was instantly overshadowed by the pain of her kicking him in the groin.

The girl squirmed out of his grasp and ran straight for the boy, grabbing his hand and yanking him after her as she ran towards the crowd, no doubt hoping to escape.

The crowd might have been scared of the musket being fired, but there was no way they would be denied their entertainment. The peasants formed a solid wall, and the two children were once again trapped.

The soldiers advanced yet again, and Duo could _feel_ the girl drawing on her magic for a third time.

The original soldier who had fired on her was now joined by two others, and all three men brought their loaded weapons on her.

This was _not_ going to end well.

Disregarding almost every order Jason had given him concerning this mission, Duo drew on his magic and used it to send a wave of energy through the crowd, soldiers, and priests gathered under the yellow tent. Everyone, except for the two children, staggered under the weight of his anger. With another burst of magic he swept the smoldering fire from the stake towards the yellow tent. As it caught, flames roared to life and quickly engulfed the structure. Duo sent the fire shooting out from both the stake and the tent, swooping over the heads of the crowd and triggering panic in everyone.

As the crowd scattered and the soldiers worked to save the priests, Duo caught sight of the boy and girl fleeing with the rest of the crowd.

He sprinted back to his horse and mounted her in one quick motion before setting off after the two children.

He caught up with them, running ahead of a few soldiers who had decided to abandon the priests and instead go after them. Duo drew his sword and slashed at the three soldiers, injuring two and killing another.

Urging his horse faster, he galloped ahead of the children and then came to a stop, suddenly enough that they actually ran into the belly of his horse.

"Come with me," he instructed, holding his hand down to them.

The girl glared up at him with clear gray eyes.

"No!" She grabbed her brother's arm and started to duck around the horse.

Duo rolled his eyes and simply grabbed the boy, hauling him up onto the horse to sit in front of Duo.

"That wasn't a request," he growled at the girl.

He could feel her start to draw upon her magic.

"Don't try it. You might be powerful, but you're young and untrained. What I did back there was nothing compared to what I can do. Now, come with me." He held his hand out again, and after a tense moment he could feel her release her magic and she took hold of his hand.

Duo swung her up behind him, turned his horse, and galloped out of town.

* * *

_Paris_

It took nearly a week to cover the distance between Pamplona and Paris. On his own, Duo could have made the journey in three days, but with the two nearly starved children he had to keep to a moderate pace. That and the fact that the girl had decided to steal his horse on the second day of their journey and try to escape with her brother – tracking them down and getting them back on the right track had taken nearly a day.

He wasn't entirely sure why he didn't simply abandon the children in a village. He had saved them from the auto da fe – surely that was enough.

But maybe it was the way that the girl – who had grudgingly admitted that her name was Sophie – seemed so hell bent on protecting her brother, Etienne. Or maybe it was the power of Sophie's major that intrigued him. More likely, however, it was the cool, elusive touch of Etienne's magic that Duo had felt several times during the journey from Pamplona to Paris.

Sophie's magic was like a mammoth wave crashing over everything around her – she was, Duo was forced to admit to himself, too much like _him_. She was powerful and she was angry and she wanted the entire world to drown. It seemed that she was able to most easily focus her magic on the temporal world – she could make things and people move and she could destroy objects very easily.

But Etienne…

It had taken three days for the boy to even speak to Duo, but within an hour after their initial meeting Duo had felt the boy's magic reach for him. It was nearly the opposite of his sister's magic – it felt as gentle and peaceful as a mountain stream – but it searched _him_. Duo could feel it dig down into his soul and his mind, brushing over every surface of Duo's memories and feelings in a caress.

Duo was unnerved by the feeling the first time – and the second and third times – but by the fourth time it felt… almost welcome. Like the warm touch of a friend, and Duo had precious few of those these days.

On the third day, when Etienne spoke to him, Duo was walking alongside the horse while the two children rode. Sophie had maintained a stony silence for most of the trip, occasionally deigning to offer a litany of insults to Duo, but Etienne's silence seemed to arise from the shock and turmoil of his recent experiences.

"Why aren't you afraid to die?" Etienne asked, and the sound of his voice startled both Sophie and Duo.

"Why would I be?" Duo responded with a question of his own.

"You're going to go to hell," Etienne said, his voice sad, "you should be afraid to die."

Duo smiled bitterly.

"I'm already _in_ hell, dying isn't going to change that."

"You always save children – is it because of the fire?"

That brought Duo to an abrupt halt.

"_What_?" he demanded.

Etienne's brown eyes were wide and innocent.

"Did you save us because of the fire? At the church? When the nun and the priest and all the children died – you cried when you buried them and Solo told you not to cry."

Duo looked at Sophie, but she was frowning back at her brother in confusion.

"How do you know about that?" Duo demanded shakily.

"I… touched it. Inside you." Etienne frowned slightly and looked up at Sophie for help.

The girl growled.

"He can… see your past and feel your feelings," she explained angrily, but then she sighed and ran one hand over his hair lovingly. "It was how he knew the town bailiff raped me."

Duo frowned.

"That's why our parents – that's why our family were discovered to be witches. Two weeks ago a man attacked me. I didn't know who it was, but last week, Etienne… felt it on him. He didn't know not to say… he told the priest…"

"And your entire family was sentenced for practicing witchcraft," Duo concluded. It was a common enough experience for Ephemerals these days.

Sophie nodded.

"He tried to do the right thing, and now our parents are dead."

Duo looked away from her angry tears.

There was little he could offer to either of them by way of comfort.

Etienne was still looking at Duo, still waiting for his answer.

"Yes," Duo said eventually. "I save children because of the fire."

Of course, it wasn't the fire he wanted to save them from – it was this.

* * *

The Council was assembled for their evening meal when Duo entered with the children.

It was a parody of a human banquet – the long table was set with gold plates, goblets, and cutlery, but very few of the assembled guests indulged actual food. The smell of death and blood was heavy on the air, and Duo knew that most of those goblets were full of blood and not wine.

The table was set on a dais, and below it several humans, clad in translucent silks and silver masks, danced for the entertainment of the Council.

"Ah! The wretched troublemaker has returned!" Alexios, a Greek vampire, called out from one end of the banquet table.

All eyes turned to Duo.

"Welcome, Executioner," a baritone voice rang out.

Duo turned to the voice and bowed low.

"Jason." He stood up and met the cool gray gaze of the Head of the Council.

Jason's full lips twitched into a smirk.

"You took your time returning to us. And I see you brought gifts?"

"_A_ gift," Duo corrected. He pulled the bearskin from his leather travel satchel and threw it in the direction of Treize, aiming for his goblet of blood.

Duo felt a juvenile sense of satisfaction when the skin landed on the goblet, upsetting it and spilling the bright contents all over Treize's immaculate white and gold brocade clothing. The vampire glared at him and Duo smirked back.

"Then who are these?" Noventa, on Jason's right, asked, and gestured to Sophie and Etienne, clinging to each other just behind Duo.

Duo turned to the grizzled Roman vampire.

"Two Ephemerals who I saved from the auto da fe."

"I seem to recall ordering you _not_ to interfere with human justice," Jason mused.

"You did," Duo agreed, meeting his cool gray gaze again. Duo was the only Old One at Court unafraid to look the ancient vampire in his eyes. Jason was one of the most powerful vampires Duo had ever encountered, and his power was so insidious that Duo actually found himself thanking God each time he managed to look Jason in the eye. As a human, Jason had been an Ephemeral, and his powers had tended towards persuasion – but of a very delicate and seductive sort. With one look into his eyes, most humans and a fair number of Old Ones had thrown themselves at the Ephemeral and committed themselves to obeying his every command. Ephemerals and Old Ones powerful enough or strong willed enough had been able to resist him then, but now, after several thousand years as a vampire, _no one_ could look Jason in the eye and not feel the instant and overwhelming desire to do whatever he wanted them to do.

No one except for Duo.

Jason's face hardened, his bronze skin tightening into a frown over his sharp features.

He turned and gestured to Alexios, who rose from his seat with a sadistic grin twisting his face.

It had taken a few years for Jason to realize that the only Council member capable of doing any real damage to Duo was Alexios. While Treize was certainly creative in his punishments, he lacked the enthusiasm required to get his own hands bloody. Alexios, however, was a psychopath who relished pain in others, Duo especially, and had no qualms about being splattered with blood.

Without having to be commanded, Duo walked to the three overlapping circles in the center of the room and knelt in the black circle. He kept his eyes on Jason as he stripped down to his breeches, carelessly removing his sword, belt, jerkin, and shirt.

Jason arched an eyebrow when he saw the slowly healing wound on Duo's chest.

"Careless and insubordinate," he murmured.

"Nothing new with that," Treize muttered.

Duo couldn't help but smirk at that. His smirk quickly vanished, however, when Alexios took a savage bite into Duo's flesh, his sharp teeth ripping through skin and muscle on Duo's left shoulder.

He held himself still and fought to keep his face neutral as the vampire ravaged his flesh, ripping away entire pieces of his skin.

It lasted for nearly half an hour – Alexios moving from one wound to create another, never even drinking Duo's blood, just ripping him apart – before Jason finally pronounced Duo suitably punished.

"I will expect you later, after you are… clean," Jason told Duo as he gathered his clothes and limped back to the wide-eyed, terror stricken Sophie and Etienne.

Duo turned and regarded Jason with barely concealed disgust.

"Of course."

* * *

Duo eschewed his own quarters and instead led the two children towards the western wing of the enormous Chateau that served as the Council headquarters and the home of Jason's favorites.

He wasn't surprised to see Relena's servant, Ibrahim, waiting at the door to her quarters.

"Madame is expecting you," Ibrahim informed Duo. His dark eyes swept over the two children. "Your guests?"

"For now," Duo muttered.

Ibrahim nodded and opened the door.

Relena's quarters were… overwhelmingly pink. Pink silks and satins for the upholstery, pink flowers for decoration, pink curtains, even paintings that were pink on the walls.

The Light Court Faerie herself was dressed in a pink and white gown, pink diamond jewels decorating her throat and pink pearls fashioned into her hair.

"Duo," she greeted him, her voice half affectionate and half exasperated.

Duo shrugged and then winced at the pain from the multiple open wounds on his shoulders.

"And who are these delightful, gorgeous children?" Relena asked and presented the frightened boy and girl with a radiant smile.

"Sophie and Etienne LeFebvre," the girl responded almost without hesitation, so infectious was the warmth that Relena projected.

"Wonderful," Relena said and held out her hands to Etienne. "Are you friends of Duo's?"

Etienne took her hands but Sophie frowned towards Duo.

"Not really," she responded, "but he… saved our lives."

"Well," Relena told the girl with a slight arch to her eyebrows, "surely that's a good foundation for friendship?"

Etienne abandoned Relena's hands and hugged her, wrapped his arms around her narrow waist and burying his face in her full skirts.

Relena shot Duo an amused glance, but she patted Etienne's back.

"You're very good," Etienne practically sighed.

"Thank you, dear," Relena said. "I try very hard."

Duo had to snort at that and Relena's lips quirked upwards.

"Now," Relena said and gently pulled Etienne away from her and knelt down in front of him, "you must be completely exhausted."

Etienne nodded in agreement.

"Let's get you into some clean clothes and put you to bed then, shall we?"

Relena led Etienne towards her bedroom.

Sophie moved to follow, but Duo stopped her with a shake of his head.

"He'll be fine – he's knows he will, too."

Sophie frowned.

"He's never been wrong about anyone before," she conceded. "She won't hurt him?"

"No. Relena tries not to ever hurt anyone," Duo assured her.

Sophie nodded, but remained uneasy until Relena returned.

"Well, he fell asleep almost immediately," she announced to them before turning to Duo. "You do find the most enchanting creatures."

"Trouble, that's what I find," Duo corrected her.

Relena rolled her eyes and turned to Sophie.

"Come now, my poppet. Duo will watch over your brother while he rests. Let's go into the other room and draw you a bath." Relena ran her hands over the girl's shoulders as she spoke, no doubt using her magic to sway the girl to do her bidding.

Still reluctant, Sophie nevertheless nodded and meekly followed Relena into the next room.

Duo actually envied the girl. The few times that he had been fortunate enough to have Relena bathe him remained some of his fondest memories – though he seriously doubted Relena would be giving the girl the same attention she had lavished on _him_.

Etienne had curled up into a ball, the large, frilled shirt nearly swallowing his thin frame. He was already asleep, and even though a slight frown marred his brow, he looked remarkably healthy.

Duo watched him sleep for a while, taking comfort in the steady rise and fall of his chest, and he felt something like affection tug at him.

These two children reminded him a great deal of Solo and himself. They were scrappy – that much was clear from the girl's fight in Pamplona – and they were alone in the world. Without anyone to protect them.

After an hour or so, Relena returned, Sophie in tow. The bath had done wonders for the girl – her tanned skin was clear and healthy looking and her dark hair had been combed free of tangles. Relena had dressed the girl in one of her own night gowns, but instead of looking risqué – as it did on Relena's fuller frame – the girl simply looked very young, and very tired.

Sophie climbed into the bed beside her brother and Relena kissed her forehead.

Moments later, no doubt aided by Relena's magic, the girl was asleep.

As they watched the two children sleep, Duo sighed.

"What the hell is going to happen to them now? That girl is damned powerful and the boy – Relena his power… it's dangerous."

She arched a golden eyebrow at him.

"He can _feel_ you – the past, your deeds, your emotions."

"That _is_ dangerous," she agreed. "Or useful. Imagine how much court intrigue he could put a stop to! He –"

"Would be killed by Treize the minute he called him a liar," Duo growled. "No. He's not some pawn for this court to use. Neither of them is."

Relena looked amused.

"Well, what are you going to do with them? You've already introduced them to Jason and the court – the Council knows they are Ephemerals, and they're incredibly powerful. You can't just make them vanish."

Duo sighed and shook his head.

"I don't –"

"You're filthy," Relena interrupted him. "Come, let's get you clean."

Duo looked up at her and remembered his earlier thoughts about Relena and baths.

"How clean?" He asked her with a wink.

"Not _that_ clean, I'm afraid," Relena answered with a sigh of regret.

Duo looked at her in confusion. He had _never_ known Relena to turn down sex.

"Jason," she sighed, "has forbidden any of his Council from sleeping with you."

Duo's jaw dropped.

"You have _got_ to be joking."

She shook her head sadly.

"No. He's convinced that one of _us_ has become your lover and he is very, _very_ jealous."

"But he practically _gave_ me to the Council to use as a whore fifty years ago. How –"

"No one has been able to force you into their bed since you refused to play with Treize again. And that was ten years ago. Jason assumes that you have simply… moved on from your love for Solo and found a new lover."

"That is… ridiculous." Duo would _never_ move on from Solo. He had told Jason as much every time the vampire propositioned him.

In Relena, Duo _had_ found a lover – but more than that, a friend. Relena would never replace Solo, and would never be more to Duo than a warm and comforting presence.

"Why does he persist in this?" Duo groaned, but allowed Relena to lead him into the next room and start to strip him of the remainder of his clothes.

"Partly because you're one of the most gorgeous creature any of us has ever seen, even with these," Relena said and ran her fingers over his scarred back.

Duo snorted at that. He _knew_ there were far more attractive men in the world. Solo, for one – _he_ had been gorgeous. So eye-catchingly beautiful that looking at him made it hard to breathe sometimes.

"And there's the fact that you are the only one in this court who can defy his power." She sighed and looked at his chest. "The bears?"

He nodded.

"You need to be careful. One of these days you might find that you turn into one of them."

"I'm an Old One, Relena," Duo said patiently as she started to heal the damage. "For me to become a shapeshifter I'd have to have my magic attacked. And I've never met a shapeshifter powerful enough to best _me_ in that kind of fight."

"See to it that you never do," Relena murmured. She started to heal the wounds that Alexios had littered over his upper body after finishing with the older injury. When she finished, she kissed his newly healed chest just over his heart.

"Thank you."

Relena turned from him and started to prepare the large, copper washtub in the center of the room with fresh hot water.

Once Duo was nearly submerged in the hot water Relena undid his hair and started to wash it, her long fingers digging into his scalp pleasantly.

"These children of yours," Relena said after a moment.

"Not _mine_," Duo protested.

"These children, then. They need a protector."

"I was thinking the same thing. I don't know any Ephemerals powerful enough to keep them safe, though. I was hoping I could find someone to adopt them, maybe –"

"Duo, stop thinking like a human. You never were one, and it's unflattering." Relena's voice was still soft, but her reprimand stung Duo.

Unlike him, Relena and her brother Zechs had been raised among other Light Court Faeries and were well aware of the history of their race and family. The fact that Duo was half Dark Court Faerie was a source of endless distaste for Zechs, and fascination for Relena.

"Tell me your thoughts, then," he said.

"They are young yet, and powerful. Still malleable, and owing you a life debt. They would be perfect servants."

"_No_."

"Duo –"

"Relena, I won't curse them to that fate. They deserve better than –"

"Better than a long life free of disease? Better than power, wealth, and comfort? Better than the protection of one of the most dangerous Old Ones alive? Better than –"

"Better than someone as dark and broken as I am," Duo finished for her. "I could never love them. Never return the affection you _know_ that such a bond forces on them."

Relena looked irritated.

"You are going to sit there and tell me that you feel _nothing_ for those two? That you do not have the merest shred of –"

"Yes, of course I do. But nothing like what I felt for Solo!"

Relena sighed.

"Duo, not every love will be like yours for Solo. He was your master and he was your lover and you shared that bond for six hundred years. Of course the love you bear for an Ephemeral servant will be less. But with these two – you will likely have nearly two hundred years with them. You will be able to see them grow to adults, to have children, grandchildren even. These will be your children, Duo."

His continued doubt must have shown on his face.

"Or you can leave them to the wolves. Even this young and half starved they are beautiful. The boy, in particular. Couple his looks with his skills… why, Treize would take him in a heartbeat. And the girl – hasn't Alexios been whining about being lonely lately? If –"

"_Fine_," Duo growled, furious that she knew exactly how to manipulate him. He sighed. "Why won't _you_ take them?"

"Duo, I have used up all of my maternal instincts tonight. Perhaps if they were a few years older…" She smirked at him.

Duo shook his head.

"You really _do_ just think about sex, don't you?" He asked.

She leaned closer to him and kissed him.

"You certainly make it hard not to," she whispered against his lips.

"Good," he responded and then pulled her into the tub with him.

Relena shrieked, half in alarm, half in joy, but quickly wrapped her arms around his neck and settled herself across his hips.

Duo kissed his way down her throat and arched her backwards so that he had access to her breasts.

"Hm. That is delightful," Relena moaned.

"Ahem."

Duo turned to see La Mole, Jason's servant, standing in the door, watching them with an unreadable expression on his face.

Relena hastily climbed out of the bathtub, and Duo was amazed at how much dignity she projected, standing there is her soaked dress.

"Yes?" She injected enough disdain in her voice that Duo flinched.

"Jason requires the Executioner," La Mole said, his eyes shifting from Relena to Duo.

"I'll be there as soon as my hair is dry," Duo muttered and leaned back in the tub, in no rush to offer up his blood to the vampire.

"_Now_," La Mole practically growled.

Duo glared at him, but the man didn't budge.

Angrily, Duo rose from the bath and accepted the towel from Relena. He dried his skin quickly, but there was no drying his hair. He squeezed out as much of the water as he could and then, still glaring at La Mole, wrapped it in a loose braid.

He pulled on breeches and a shirt, not bothering with hose, shoes, or a jerkin.

"Well?" he prompted La Mole.

The Ephemeral spun on his heel and stalked from the room, Duo close at his heels.

When they arrived at Jason's quarters, La Mole gestured Duo inside and then seemed to vanish, a trait of his that had long irritated Duo.

Jason had removed his elaborate court clothing and sat reading in front of his fireplace, on a settee, dressed in a blue chiton, the Greek clothing of his youth.

When Duo entered he set the book aside, but made no move to rise.

"You… require me?" Duo said into the silence.

Jason's lips twitched upwards.

"You've been back for less than a day and already you've managed to break my laws and anger the Council."

"Maybe you should just have me executed?" Duo suggested. "It would certainly save everyone the trouble of having to deal with me."

"What an extravagant waste _that_ would be," Jason said.

He finally stood and approached Duo.

"Still craving the touch of your master?" Jason inquired and ran one hand across Duo's jaw.

"I always will," Duo assured him, holding himself completely still under Jason's touch.

There was no denying that the vampire was attractive, but his looks did nothing to outweigh the fact that he was, and always would be, Duo's enemy.

Jason ran the pad of his thumb over Duo's lips.

"I very seriously doubt that," Jason murmured.

Duo stepped away and pulled off his shirt, eager to get this over with.

"Are you finally offering me your body?" Jason asked, his voice amused.

"_No_. I'm offering you my neck, as I always have. I simply don't want to get blood on my clothes."

Jason's eyes drifted downwards, as if inviting Duo to remove his breeches.

"Unless I wasn't summoned for that purpose?" Duo asked.

"One wonders _why_ I bother to keep you alive," Jason muttered.

"Yes, one _does_," Duo agreed.

Jason glared at him for a long moment, but then closed the space between them.

He brushed Duo's hair to one side, leaving his neck exposed.

Duo felt the other man's cool lips against his flesh, kissing and licking downwards until Jason found the pulsing life under Duo's skin and bit down.

He held himself rigidly still, refusing to grip Jason's arms or broad back, refusing to acknowledge the pain of Jason's fangs working into his skin and drawing his blood.

When it was over, Jason ran his tongue over the small incisions, laving at them in the parody of a caress that sent shivers down Duo's spine.

Jason pulled back and stared down at Duo, his dark gaze filled with energy and power.

"Ah yes," Jason said with a smile. "_That_ is why I keep you around." He brushed Duo's hair back into place, draping the braid over the marks on his neck and letting his hands trail over Duo's torso. "That, and the dream of more."

"You have your dreams," Duo said, "and I have mine."

"And do I feature in yours as well?"

"Of course," Duo assured him. "I've watched you die hundreds of times in my sleep, and every time it fills me with joy. I can only hope that one day, _my_ dreams come true."

Without waiting for a dismissal, Duo pulled on his shirt and left.

There would be hell to pay for this, but Duo had so much debt against him already that he wasn't bothered.

It seemed that no matter what he did, Jason remained enthralled.

* * *

TBC


End file.
